Four from Odisha find place in Core Group for National Camp

The 34 National Campers, will report to Chief Coach Harendra Singh for a 23-day long training camp which concludes on 23rd November ahead of the much-awaited Hockey World Cup 2018.

Four players from Odisha have been selected in the 34-member Core Group for the final National Camp before the Hockey Men’s World Cup scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in the capital city of Odisha. The selected players from the state are Birendra Lakra, Shilanand Lakra, Amit Rohidas, and Suman Beck. The 34 National Campers, will report to Chief Coach Harendra Singh for a 23-day long training camp which concludes on 23rd November ahead of the much-awaited Hockey World Cup 2018.

The National Camp will give chance to Chief Coach Harendra Singh to work with the Core Group and pick his final 18-member Indian Men’s Hockey Team for the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup. The World No. 5 team will look to prepare for the mega-event by training in the host town to get acclimatized to the conditions before they start their campaign against South Africa on 28th November 2018. After having been declared as the Joint Winners at the recently concluded 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018, the team will undergo intense training sessions under Chief Coach Harendra Singh, who is confident that the National Camp will give all the 34-members the chance to prove their mettle and book a place in the final squad.

The coach said – “Our campaign at the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy Muscat 2018 served as good preparation for the team before the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018, but now is the most critical time for us as we look to reinvigorate our spirits and work on the areas which need improvement. The National Camp will give all the 34 Core Group players the chance to work hard and show what edge they can provide to the team,”.

“We had trained in Bhubaneswar before the 5th Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy to get used to the conditions there, and I believe that playing on the newly-laid turf at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium again before the World Cup will give us a good chance to prepare and analyze the most effective tactics and style of play, which can be used during the tournament. It is also crucial that we learn from our mistakes in all the previous tournaments this year, and work on minimizing errors throughout the three areas of attack, midfield, and defense. It is now time for all the Core Group players to step up and show what they can bring to the table,” he said.